Sotheby’s Diamonds, the legendary auction house’s retail ­jewelry division, recently tapped London-based Lily Gabriella Fine Jewellery to create a capsule collection using extraordinary diamonds sourced and cut by renowned diamantaire Diacore. Designer Lily Gabriella’s playful Holi earrings were ­inspired by the Hindu Holi festival of color and include twin fancy colored yellow diamonds. Gabriella says she willfully ignored the sky-high value of the gems when designing the earrings so as not to be unduly influenced by it. “I decided to create something that was modern and vibrant,” she says, “but would still make the stones really pop.”

For the Fest

Before Patti Wong, chair of Sotheby’s Diamonds, approached Gabriella to collaborate with the house, the designer had created an entire line inspired by the color-drenched Holi festival. “I think the pieces really appealed to her,” Gabriella recalls. “She specifically asked if I would create a high-jewelry version of the earrings for the capsule collection.”

Light & Shade

The gold setting has movement, which posed challenges when setting such large, valuable stones, Gabriella says, as did finding the right shade of pink to surround the diamonds. “The color had to be right,” she says. “I didn’t want the enamel to be more prominent than the diamonds—so we ended up making a color that’s never existed before.”

Holi Day Magic

The earrings feature two fancy colored yellow diamonds (5.01 ct. and 5.03 ct., respectively), six 0.6 ct.–1.7 ct. round-cut brilliant diamonds, pavé-set pink sapphires, and enamel—all mounted in an 18k rose and 18k yellow gold setting.